Sammy's at the Longwood: What happened?

If you've lived in the Boston area for a long while, and had to spend any time around the medical area, you remember Sammy's kebab cart on Francis street, just in front of the Brigham and Women's hospital. The food was the student's best friend. It was delicious and relatively cheap.

Many many years later, I found myself in the area and now Sammy's has grown into a proper place in the Longwood food court behind Dana Farber.

With good memories and a better appreciation for middle-eastern food, I head over and order some of my favorites: Lamb Shawarma , Mujedara, and Falafel with tahini sauce.

Having tasted all three, I can deduce one of two possibilities: Either my taste for middle eastern food has evolved, or Sammy's has gone down at terminal velocity.

Having tasted both dry and wet versions of Mujedara (from Byblos and Cafe Barada, respectively), Sammy's was neither. While present, I could not taste any of the key ingredients in the dish (lentils and onions), but instead I tasted the cucumber dressing they put on top of it for some reason. I like the dressing, mind you, but not on this dish. It over-powered everything else, so I ended up discarding the vast majority of it. My favorite type is the wet type, and from Cafe Barada in Cambridge. It is creamy, and the lentil flavor is just perfect.

The two key characteristics of Falafel that I love are the crunchy outside and the moist inside. Sammy's was the exact antithesis: soggy and dry. Here again, my recommendation is Cafe Barada. They make then in the traditional dual half-moon shape (think very large skittles). They are crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. Some other shops make them crispy, but usually kind of greasy. Barada's are very light and I think just lovely.

The Shawarma tasted like stewed lamb strips rather than the slow roasted goodness I am used to. The Lamb tasted overcooked (not in a good way) and while edible, it was definitely not what I consider good. The best one I've had so far is actually from a Greek place in Newton called Farm grille. Try them and see for yourself. They're non-traditional by the fact that theirs is actual sliced lamb rather than the usual meatloaf-like base.

I admit: this might be the traditional case of reality not living up to the memory. It was a let-down and I will adjust my expectations next time. I think for a "joint", the place is good. Just don't expect it to become your benchmark for middle eastern food.

Later,